Ultra high frequency tuning unit



Sept. 7, 1948. N. T. SIMOPOULOS 2,448,554

' ULTRA-HIGH FREQUENCY TUNING UNIT Filed Feb. 27, 1946 nv VEN r01? Max/0M5 z /MOPOM! 05 A TTOR/VE Y Patented Sept. 7, 1948 UNITED. 's TA ss PATENT OFFICE ut'rna nlciirit nfl rtir Tomato UNIT Nicholas T. Slrnopoulos, Dayton, Ohio Application February 2'7; 1946, SeriaiNo; 650,439l

. +4 v (Granted 'under'the acto! March 3, 1883, as

amended'Aprib'm), 19 28; 370 0. G. 757) This invention relates toan ultra-high ire-"3 quency tuner and more particularly to- ;a-wide range tuning unit that is tunable'or variable by a single operation.

According to conventionalpractice variablecapacitors and inductors are used in tuned circuits-- such as may be associated with vacuumtubes-in local oscillators and thelike. 7 As is well understood in the art these componentsm'aybeseparately or gang tuned. Various arrangements-have heretofore been devised in attempts toobtain optimum conditions as regards performance ,-ease of tuning adjustment and tuning range. -f

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a simplified tuning unit which provides a wide tuning range. It is another object of my inventionto provide a tuner; especially useful in ultra-high frequencyapplications; in which the inductance and capacity-are simultaneously varied by a single operation. a

It is a further object of my invention to provide a tuning unit for ultra-high-frequenc-y applications having a tuning ratio greater than that '0! the prior art. 7

For a better understanding of the invention together with other and further objects thereof,

reference is had to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. The scope of the invention will-be pointed out in the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings: 7 a r Fig. 1 is a plan view of an illustrative ment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram that is illustrative of the invention. l

In general, the device that is shownin-th'e acembodicompanying drawing comprises Ia satbr -|:an-45' which is mounted a rotor I'that'is adjusted-by operation of a shaft 3. The shaft 3 is journaled for rotation in a pair of insulating end supports 4 and 5 of the stator I.

The stator I is a hollow cylinder having rectangular apertures I and II on opposite sides thereof and continuous end portions I2 and I3, providing a pair of outwardly disposed capacitor plates. Centrally apertured circular mounts I4 and I are disposed inwardly of the stator end shaft 3 so that the turning of the shaft 3 moves portions I2 and I3,respectively, and are tapped and threaded to receive screws 3 that secure the stator l'to the supports I and 5. End plates l6 and H are interposed between the mounts I4 and I5 and the'supports 4 and 5, respectively, and,

like the mounts I4 and I5 are insulated from the rotor 2. The rotor 2 is a hollow cylinder disposed within the stator I and slotted axially or cut away to provide a pair of rotor capacitor plates that are spaced radially from the capacitor plates of the stator I. The axially extendingslots iii-the rotor 2 provide rotor plates that underliethe plates of the stator l although' preferably they are sumci'ently larger in circumference tha'n'the plates of the stator I so that there is'fa slight-overlap when the stator apertures 'IO'and-II are completely closed by the capacitor 'pl'ates of the rotor 2. The rotor 2 has a rib 20 intermediate its ends that prefera-bly'is a structurally continuous part "of the plates of the rotor The rotor plates terminate in ends that are spaced axially from the mounts I A and I5 and remote'fromthe rib 2II., Screwsil extend through the rotorr'ib 20 and thread into arotor mount 22. The rotor mount 22 is secured by welding or the like to the the rotor 2 with respect to the stator I. 'The shaft 3 preferably is journaledin bearings Hand 26 in the end supports 4 and 5; respectively. v

j A connector 28 is secured to the stator I on one side and intermediate the ends'thereof for conneotionby'soldering or the like to the plate '30 of aivacuum tube 3| 'shownin Fig. 34;.vvith the shortest practical connection therebetween to .minimize stray inductance. A capacitor 291'Figs. land 4,'comprising. a layer of'mica 3z and a capacitor plate 3 3 i's1secured .to the stator I on theioppositeside from .the side carrying the'connector 2 8 and intermediate the ends'of the stator I; jThe capacitor 29 so mounted 'h'asfa connector 34 on the capacitor plate 33 formakingconnection by soldering orthe like with the grid.35 0f the tube 3I shown inFigs land 4, with the shortest practical connection to minimize stray inductance. A il'xed resistor 36 shunts the capacitor plate33 bybeing connected between the grid side of the capacitor 29' and the stator "I' as shown in Fig. 4, a tuning range of fromi155 totB00iinega cycles in 90 rotation of the shaft ,.3 is provided. When a type 446A lighthouse tubeis used as tube 3| in the circuit in Fig. 4, a tuning, range of from 160 to 970 megacycles in 90 rotatiqnkdfithe; shaft 3 is provided. The by-pass capacitor 2.9,.in v

4 vention, and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended claims to cover all changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1. ,A ,radio ,irequency tuning unit having in- 1ductance'randcapacityzvariable by a single tuning operation, comprising stator means formed by a pair of arcuate pla'tes united by structurally continuous arcuate end portions and spaced from eachothertdiorma plurality of diametrical axial .slotssto provide inductive loops, rotor means 'formed'by 'a'p'air of arcuate plates united interximediafiatth'eir ends by a structurally continuous the aforesaid model has a capacity of'1'0""mi'cro microfarads and the resistorfi finis a Gannon 15B.-

sistor of 25,000 ohms. v

In the installation of the device in a circuit ethetstator I isgelectrically connected by connector i;2;8 to the plate 30 1f tthe tube andtqthejuncr-ttionpf tthe; eapacitor,,-2 9 andtthe resistore-fii remote f r r m thetgri d .35. -.The;.ea;thode vvIi! of ,the ,tube 3 l,.;is\- e lectrieally connected to the.B terminal ,ofa power supply. When so installed, the illusitratedt e ca f r -=in v apa tuni ertin -s n l e tiv ad us m nt Q th qt awith espect ,to ,the stator I.

The [tunin -9f the oscillator-circuit v 113 3 .be .varied lcy turning the shaft 3 to thereby cause theplates ofthe rotor ,2 to increa$in ly or dereasingly close the apertures ,l fl andl l in the St,ator- .1. ,such adjustment varies, in .;a ,single ;o peration, both the capacitance .--and, ;inductance .i-n the circuit in which the device .is comiected. Capacitive. tuning is ;providedsince the capacitor nle fis; resp ctively comprisingtheastator; Ivy-rand r0- -ztor 2 .aflord maximum capacitance w hen vmost -ne rl tqver ln a othe and m n -m came -,tance -when theplates .of the rotor 2 most-nearly :;el ose;the,-ap.ertures..l0 and I' l in'the stator-J. ,The device .also' provides .a. ,pluralityof ;indu,ctiv-,e loops adisposed. to the rightlandleft of .the ribfl fl wofcthe iro'tor 2; ,The, loops decrease inrlat'eral dimension ,gape'rtures ID and 1 1' in the stator ,l. 'fflhus,theinductanceand capacitancearaboth *reducedlb-ysclosing circumerential1y the gap between the vstator l and rotor $2; When the .e'ap 'ifs jiullyjop'en .both the inductance. and capacitance of the deVicQareat tneirmazemurnvames; ..'Ihe device' provides more 10f a curve -than'a straight ilinepvariation'mior..chan e of ireguencv iwithrcztaflofilu v.

L'I'he tuningdeviceherein y showniand described has fiheladvantalge thatit 15 of Simple .ffibli struojtion requiressubstantially nomaintenancel'ahfd is easy to operate. It isl'ioul(11cc.noted that n'oldi'mjct .;el, e,ct"r ica1 connection to .the rotor '12 ,is .jrequired, fthereby eliminating the need. for wiping contacts Handyman; v t WhiIetheI-e has been described whatis' at present considered th preferred. embodiment of the invention, it'wilLbe .obviousito those skilled injthe 1:5 Baron-ate rib and spaced from each other to form a plurality of diametrical axial slots extending outwardly from said rib to the ends of said lat- 1 terrplateaxsaidxotor;means being radially spaced formed, by a hollow cylinderhaving a plurality of axial slots to provide a' plurality of inductive loops,

,;in,termedi ate ,said'ends, .saidrotor .being spaced .radially, from said stator to provide capacitance as.tne;p1ates ofthe rotor,morenearlygcclose'the art that various changesi andimodifications ma libeimajde therein .without 'departing from' the, in-

gil fromrsaidstator means to provide capacitance therebetween, and means for adjusting said rotor ,2.radio;frequency tuning unit having inductance and capacitance ,that are variable by a single tuning operation, comprising stator means rotor means formed by a hollow cylinder having a. plurality of axialslots that extend from the center outwardly to the endsthereoitoform arib therebetween,, and means for adjustingsaidrotor circuinferentially with respect to saids'tator.

.3.. A, radi o frequencytuning unit having in- -.ductance and capacitance variable by a single tuning operation, comprising substantially cylin- ..dri,ca1 stat or means apertured axially upon di- -ametrically .qpposite sides to provide a pair of ,axially extending plates 1 structurally continuous -.;at ;the -,!-'.emote endsthereof toimpart inductive loop-characteristics thereto, support means at the .remote,ends ofsaid stator means, a shaft coaxial with said-stator ,means and journaledin said support means, .a rotor mount carried .by said ,shaft-andldisp-osed intermediate the ,ends of said stator, means, and, rotor means. having a rib portion carried by said rotor mount andhaving a .pairof plates extending. axially of and-terminating remote from the. rib portion and spaced-radially-inwardly from saidstator means to maintain .bpth'fcapacitive and j inductive .association therewith.

NICHOLAS .T. SIMOBOULOS.

REFERENCES 'fCITED The following referencesarepf ,record in the tvfile 10f this patent:.

UNITED STATES PATENTS" Number 

